Question: Is it love?

Love has been subjectively defined as an expression and assertion of self esteem (Ayn Rand). The true meaning is lost on every one, as different people show their love differently. There are a million love songs that have tried to define it, but no one definition can claim to hold its true meaning.

Love manifests itself in different ways in many people. For some it may be giving gifts to a loved one, for others it may be nice restaurants and fancy cars. Yet for others, it may be as simple as a hug, or snuggling in front of the fire. It may be all of these things and more. However, it should be note that these are just the outward manifestations of the feeling, and at the very core lies love.

For some people, knowing whether they are in love is quite a task. This is not uncommon, especially when people find new loves. As mentioned, there is no standard measure for love as people are different, and thus show love and affection in their own way. So how do you know that what you are feeling is true love?
Getting into a relationship is always a tricky endeavor. This is because all kinds of feelings are felt; lust, passion, affection, that it is easy to confuse them with love. In order to know whether the feeling is true or not, people have resorted to various measures. Some of these measures include love calculators (a topic for another day).

For some people, showing love means regular gifts and other physical shows. For them, it’s all about pampering their partners with material gifts. However, this is not a true showing of love, regardless of how they might feel. As I have realized, love is something far deeper than that. Love causes people to expose themselves; be vulnerable at the very core. Opening up like this is very hard for some, and not many can do it. The lesson here is if you really want to feel love, then you should not hold back.
Of course opening up can be done, but it has to be for the right person. Many feelings are often confused for love, while it might be lust or infatuation. Finding that special someone is a journey we all must endure and not many eventually find them. The right partner is one who loves you for who you are, and accepts you just the way you are. If you are lucky to have found such a person, then you might just be experiencing love.

To be able to show love to others, we must be able to love ourselves first. How can we love ourselves, despite our issues, problems, and bad habits? This is as simple as accepting yourself the way you are and being in control of what you can. This sounds quite simple, but not many are able to do it. Until one is truly able to be at peace and love themselves, they cannot show love to others.

Some people believe in love at first sight. This is all good for a while until they realize it was simply a crush, or infatuation. This is not to say that such feelings cannot give way to real love. Such relationships have to take their due course, and the both parties have to be patient for true love to bear steam.
I’ll tell you what love manifests as; love is pure, kind, forgiving, hopeful, enduring, and believes in all things. If such virtues are ones you live by, and treat your partner with, then you are experiencing true love. Endeavor to show such to others, and it will be shown unto you.